Coconut-Chickpea Crepes with Smoky Herbed Mushrooms

One of my favorite shows on the Cooking Channel is My Grandmother’s Ravioli. If you haven’t already watched it, here’s the premise: the host of the show, Mo Rocca, goes to a different home of a grandmother and/or grandfather each episode and learns how to cook some of their signature dishes. Along the way, he learns about their past, how they developed a love for cooking and then meets some of their neighbors and family members towards the end of the episode for a sit-down dinner. It’s less of an instructional cooking show than it is a glimpse inside the lives of families who have consciously and enthusiastically made food and signatures dishes a part of their own distinct culture and history.

After making one batch that tasted bad, one that tasted good, but wouldn’t crisp correctly along the edges, then one more that was too thick, I finally nailed it with the right ratios of chickpea flour, seltzer water, tapioca flour and a little emulsified coconut milk. I then stuffed them with some mushrooms in a creamy and smokey sauce, similar to the sauce I developed for this recipe. The crepes were perfectly crisp along the edges, with a nice softer texture towards the middle, which complimented the smoky and nicely textured mushroom filling inside. I liked it so much that I not only ate it as a late lunch, but also again as a dinner the same day.

for the crepes

Instructions

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saute pan over medium-low heat. Place the shallots into the pan and saute for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the mushrooms, then place a lid over the top. Increase the heat to medium and allow the mushrooms to sweat for 4-5 minutes. Remove the lid and slightly lower the heat to allow some of the moisture to evaporate, about 4-5 minutes more. Add in the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the thyme and paprika. Stir well. Scoop off 2 or 3 tablespoons of the coconut cream from the top of the can. Reserve the rest of the canned coconut milk for the crepes. Add it to the pan and allow it to melt. Stir to combine, then add 1/2 tsp of coconut vinegar to the pan. Taste and add another 1/2 tsp if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep it over the lowest heat setting possible while you make your crepes.

To make the crepes, pour out the remaining coconut milk into a bowl. Stir it until the thin and thick parts are thoroughly combined. Measure out 1/2 cup of it into another bowl, then add in 3/4 cup of seltzer water. Whisk vigorously, then add in the chickpea and tapioca flours, nutritional yeast and salt, then whisk again.

Heat a clean non-stick circular pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Spray with a little cooking spray or oil, then quickly pour a thin layer of the batter into the middle. Pick up the hot pan immediately and tilt the pan around so it is evenly covered. Return the pan to the heat and allow it to cook until the edges are slightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip it over with a spatula, then cook for only 1-2 minutes more. This should make about 4-5 medium-sized crepes.

Spoon some of the mushroom filling into each of the crepes. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh parsley and serve immediately.

and this is gluten free. i think so anyway… i guess i'm super excited about this because i have never played with chickpea flour before, i have a bag at home and tho i don't have snowmaggedon happening here in Baltimore, i'd love to spend an afternoon making this. it kinda reminds me of a vietnamese banh xeo which i love so very much.

I have never heard of banh xeo, so I googled it. I first assumed it was made from egg, but it looks like the base is made mostly from rice flour with some wheat thrown in for some recipes I looked at. Now I am intrigued! I love that the fillings for banh xeo are more like what you would see in a fresh spring roll as opposed to heavier, more savory items, like mushrooms … Something else to try out! : )

i'm sorry, i should've clarified! banh xeo is one of my fave vietnamese home dishes, it's a crispy vietnamese crepe slash taco. it can be made vegetarian/vegan or with plenty of meat and seafood. always there's herbs and salad fixings to go with it… you can roll it in rice paper or in lettuce leaves and dunk in sauce, or you can eat it like a grown up with utensils, it's always so much fun to have a banh xeo cookout.

I love crepes more than pancakes, so I want to try these because they look so good and crispy. But the kind of chickpea flour I have is roasted – I have a feeling it absorbs liquids more than the unroasted kind as with all recipes I've tried for making socca, the batter wasn't a batter, but a clump of wet chickpea flour. Are you familiar with the roasted chickpea flour? Do you think I should buy the unroasted kind for these crepes?

I saw this on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. I have a weak spot for mushrooms, PLUS we have some chickpeas I've been wanting to use. I've featured you as one of our meals of the week at Clarks Condensed, and would love if you came over and linked up another yummy recipe at our link party!

I looove these. I have made them a few times now and although they are a little more involved than my usual meals (hummus and tortillas…), they’re totally worth it. My three year old gobbles them up, too. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I have still never tried chickpea flour in any other recipe with any success.